Justin Huntington, Charles Morton, Tim Minor, Matt Bromley Desert Research Institute Rick Allen
Tim Allen interview
1
EDITORIAL ROUTTNG 8-25-92 TO: ENTERTAINMENT,-I - Bv Frank Lovece Ll"l,'if;,Ii3l"Jlfi!""1Tl:iJ:ff3I My mother didn't know who Tim types is due bothto Tim Ta_ylor's vul- Allei was at first. "Tim Allen ... Tim nerability and to his wife Jill's (Patri- Allen...' cia Richardson) no'nonsense attitude .She tried gamely to remember, toward him. having asked me about my work while I was visiting. Just then my stepfather grunted something like, Butwe a6ri't rte trratiriow [e-'s on.s' reDregents that do-it- ""lH: t^'in"t'1":ii$,T"t'€*f,1"*'; yo u r e e I I k i c k t h a t's Imprbvement,"wasthe.onlybonafide paft Ol eyefy guy I hit among last season's newcomers, 'r__ ___ . - -,, landing in"the top 10 from the moment KDOW, mySerf host of a cable do-it-yourself show, it has made the 39-year-old Allen a Tool Time! Allen is very much the regular guy ,) o o g' :' € J o o o 5 It o t5 o 6 o o o x o o It o b o o o z o d o o t5 o lrt o h o o b o o o =' ; o F o t seemingly instant success. He has been a stand-up comic on and off since 1980, and prior to landing the se- ries he had done a couple of Showtime specials. But it wasn't until he trans- planted his stage persona to a sitcom that Allen became a star - and made his trademark guy's-guy grunt the an- them of dads and stepdads everywhere. nTo discuss why you laugh gets so esoteric, it can seem so stupid," Allen reflects at his hiatus home in subur- ban Detroit, where he lives with his wife of eight years, Laura Deibel, and their 2-year-old daughter, Kady. Allen is pretty much a reg'lar guy himself, not given to apparent airs or ego. That, he thinks, may be the appeal of his Tim Taylor character, host of the fictional "Tool Time." "At least he's gonna be a- g!ry, whether that's wrong or right," Allen says. uNot like Archie Bunker, where even other guys were saying, 'I'm ndt gonna be this guy.' But Tim Taylor is a stereotypical male - he represents that do-it-yourself kick that's part of every guy I know, myself included." To his credit, Allen does say "ste- reotypical" and not "typical." After all, there are plenty of guys who care nothing about football and pickuP trucks, and Allen's own craft of stand- up comedy wasn't exactly one of the crucial survival skills of American "The relationship between Tim and Jill is pretty believable," Allen sug- gests. Indeed, many call it the show's itrongest point. uThey're eguals, they have a good sense of humor, theY have a real sort of relationship going. A lot of it is right there on stage. Pat's such a good actress, it's very disarming to be in a scene where I think she means this stuff! Especially when she's an- gry, which reminds me of when mY wile is angry with me. And I react to that. I'll start crying in a scene be- cause she'll be so sad, and people will say, 'Tim, what's wrong?' and Pat'll say, 'Tim, I'm only acting.' " Allen has been learning how to act himself, as have other comics-turned- sitcomics. Some, like Harry Anderson of the late "Night Court," simply con- tinue doing a toned-down version of their stage persona. But others, like Roseanne Arnold, quickly pick up the nuances of expressing a range of emotions. "I'm not an actor," Allen muses. "I'm a comedian. I'm becoming an ac- tor, I guess. But being a comic for 20 +years, I've seen guYs come uP who in a year, year-and-a-half, they're good. And that shakes you up, when it takes you 20 years to feel that waY about vour own act." " It's intriguing that Allen says he has been at this 20 years: He never got onstage until 1980, when buddies Bill Ludwig and Eric Head urged him to try a routine at Detroit's ComedY Castle. Then his nascent career got in- terrupted for 28 months while he served time for cocaine possession and distribution. ("It was a medium security prison,o he says of the Sand- stone Correctional Institution in . Sandstone, Mich. "A minimum would have had no fences. This had fences and armed guards in little towers. They would shoot you if you jumped over. But they'd probably know your name before they did.J No, although Allen has been a pro- fessional comic only a decade, the 20- year-remark suggests he always knew that was what he was. "I wanted to be on Johnny Carson since 1977," he says - three years before his stand- up debut. "I didn't know it would be fiom comedy - I didn't know what I wanted to do with myself - but I knew I wanted to be on that show. Then when I did do stand-up comedy, I thought,'Yeah. This is it.' " He even- tually played Carson's "Tonight Show" twice. Now Allen's own show, after having spent its first season in a Tuesday- night hammock between "Full House" and uRoseanne," has moved to Wednesdays, opposite NBC's critical- ly acclaimed "Seinfeld." Tim Taylor versus Jerry and George? It should be an interesting battle, between stereotypical'90s guys who are absolutely nothing alike. @ r9g2 NEWSPAPEB EI.MEAPRISE ASIIN. STAR VIEW z trt € u, F tlt Etri trd F'I zl Fil Ell m Ei il Fti UU H H (r!; mr G es H 14 CE 4 Nq o! og ri 9rx Ftl Fi >.! <i (D' j zl oi {i 5i r-l I -l zt <;: o' O) O) c) o I N) N lli A @l o, ,il E
-
Upload
frank-lovece -
Category
Documents
-
view
15 -
download
0
description
Nationally syndicated newspaper column (NEA, August 25, 1992).. By Frank Lovece
Transcript of Tim Allen interview
EDITORIALROUTTNG 8-25-92TO:
ENTERTAINMENT,-I
-
Bv Frank Lovece Ll"l,'if;,Ii3l"Jlfi!""1Tl:iJ:ff3I
My mother didn't know who Tim types is due bothto Tim Ta_ylor's vul-Allei was at first. "Tim Allen ... Tim nerability and to his wife Jill's (Patri-Allen...' cia Richardson) no'nonsense attitude
.She tried gamely to remember, toward him.having asked me about my workwhile I was visiting. Just then mystepfather grunted something like,
Butwe a6ri't rte trratiriow [e-'s on.s' reDregents that do-it-
""lH: t^'in"t'1":ii$,T"t'€*f,1"*'; yo u r e e I I k i c k t h a t's
Imprbvement,"wasthe.onlybonafide paft Ol eyefy guy Ihit among last season's newcomers, 'r__ ___ . - -,,landing in"the top 10 from the moment KDOW, mySerf
host of a cable do-it-yourself show, ithas made the 39-year-old Allen a
Tool Time!
Allen is very much the regular guy
,)oog'
:'
€Jooo
5Ito
t5o
6oooxooIt
o
boo
o
zodoot5o
lrt
o
ho
obooo
='
;o
Fot
seemingly instant success. He hasbeen a stand-up comic on and offsince 1980, and prior to landing the se-ries he had done a couple of Showtimespecials. But it wasn't until he trans-planted his stage persona to a sitcomthat Allen became a star - and madehis trademark guy's-guy grunt the an-them of dads and stepdadseverywhere.
nTo discuss why you laugh gets soesoteric, it can seem so stupid," Allenreflects at his hiatus home in subur-ban Detroit, where he lives with hiswife of eight years, Laura Deibel, andtheir 2-year-old daughter, Kady. Allenis pretty much a reg'lar guy himself,not given to apparent airs or ego.That, he thinks, may be the appeal ofhis Tim Taylor character, host of thefictional "Tool Time."
"At least he's gonna be a- g!ry,whether that's wrong or right," Allensays. uNot like Archie Bunker, whereeven other guys were saying, 'I'm ndtgonna be this guy.' But Tim Taylor is astereotypical male - he representsthat do-it-yourself kick that's part ofevery guy I know, myself included."
To his credit, Allen does say "ste-reotypical" and not "typical." Afterall, there are plenty of guys who carenothing about football and pickuPtrucks, and Allen's own craft of stand-up comedy wasn't exactly one of thecrucial survival skills of American
"The relationship between Tim andJill is pretty believable," Allen sug-gests. Indeed, many call it the show'sitrongest point. uThey're eguals, theyhave a good sense of humor, theY havea real sort of relationship going. A lotof it is right there on stage. Pat's sucha good actress, it's very disarming tobe in a scene where I think she meansthis stuff! Especially when she's an-gry, which reminds me of when mYwile is angry with me. And I react tothat. I'll start crying in a scene be-cause she'll be so sad, and people willsay, 'Tim, what's wrong?' and Pat'llsay, 'Tim, I'm only acting.' "
Allen has been learning how to acthimself, as have other comics-turned-sitcomics. Some, like Harry Andersonof the late "Night Court," simply con-tinue doing a toned-down version oftheir stage persona. But others, likeRoseanne Arnold, quickly pick up thenuances of expressing a range ofemotions.
"I'm not an actor," Allen muses."I'm a comedian. I'm becoming an ac-tor, I guess. But being a comic for 20
+years, I've seen guYs come uP who in ayear, year-and-a-half, they're good.And that shakes you up, when it takesyou 20 years to feel that waY aboutvour own act."" It's intriguing that Allen says hehas been at this 20 years: He never got
onstage until 1980, when buddies BillLudwig and Eric Head urged him totry a routine at Detroit's ComedYCastle. Then his nascent career got in-terrupted for 28 months while heserved time for cocaine possessionand distribution. ("It was a mediumsecurity prison,o he says of the Sand-stone Correctional Institution in
. Sandstone, Mich. "A minimum wouldhave had no fences. This had fencesand armed guards in little towers.They would shoot you if you jumpedover. But they'd probably know yourname before they did.J
No, although Allen has been a pro-fessional comic only a decade, the 20-year-remark suggests he alwaysknew that was what he was. "I wantedto be on Johnny Carson since 1977," hesays - three years before his stand-up debut. "I didn't know it would befiom comedy - I didn't know what Iwanted to do with myself - but Iknew I wanted to be on that show.Then when I did do stand-up comedy,I thought,'Yeah. This is it.' " He even-tually played Carson's "TonightShow" twice.
Now Allen's own show, after havingspent its first season in a Tuesday-night hammock between "Full House"and uRoseanne," has moved toWednesdays, opposite NBC's critical-ly acclaimed "Seinfeld."
Tim Taylor versus Jerry andGeorge? It should be an interestingbattle, between stereotypical'90sguys who are absolutely nothingalike.
@ r9g2 NEWSPAPEB EI.MEAPRISE ASIIN.
STAR VIEW
ztrt€u,
FtltEtritrdF'IzlFilEllmEiilFtiUUHH(r!;mrGes
H14CE
4Nqo!ogri9rxFtlFi>.!<i(D'j
zloi{i5ir-l I
-l
zt<;:
o'O)O)
c)oIN)Nlli
A@lo,
,il
E
